Variability of Initial Subgrade Modulus at Ohio SHRP Test Road

Variability of Initial Subgrade Modulus at Ohio SHRP Test Road
Author: DL. Wasniak
Publisher:
Total Pages: 16
Release: 2000
Genre: Fills (Earthwork)
ISBN:

Premature deterioration of highway pavements is often attributed to the base and subgrade. In highway construction projects, construction quality control during the subgrade preparation involves nuclear moisture-density testing at specified depths at equally spaced stations along the entire project length. However, the authors' field study at the Ohio-SHRP Test Road revealed that this conventional approach was not effective for minimizing the variability of the subgrade stiffness. First of all, it was not possible to achieve a uniform moisture-density (or dry density) condition throughout the entire project. Secondly, even when the nuclear test data indicated that a fairly uniform relative compaction was established within an area, the subgrade stiffness could still vary significantly. The reasons for this were that the conventional approach could provide only very localized data on the state of the soil compaction and that the relative compaction alone could not be a reliable indicator to describe the soil stiffness. An alternative approach is to employ a rapid, nondestructive stiffness test method, such as Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD), Dynaflect, and soil stiffness gage (SSG), in the field to monitor the stiffness of the entire thickness directly during the subgrade preparation.

Constructing and Controlling Compaction of Earth Fills

Constructing and Controlling Compaction of Earth Fills
Author: Donald W. Shanklin
Publisher: ASTM International
Total Pages: 345
Release: 2000
Genre: Earth dams
ISBN: 0803128592

Annotation Presents 22 papers, from the July 1999 symposium, written on the use of various standardized methods for specifying and controlling the compaction of soil for engineered constructed earth fills. Perspectives include the historical background, current state-of-the- art practices, case histories of challenging situations, concerns regarding appropriate design parameters for compaction control, and new methods to evaluate soil compaction and related qualities. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.

Determination of Pavement Layer Stiffness on the Ohio SHRP Test Road Using Non-destructive Testing Techniques

Determination of Pavement Layer Stiffness on the Ohio SHRP Test Road Using Non-destructive Testing Techniques
Author: Shad M. Sargand
Publisher:
Total Pages: 184
Release: 2002
Genre: Nondestructive testing
ISBN:

In 1994-96, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) constructed a 3.5-mile long test pavement on US 23 in Delaware County for the Strategic Highway Research Program. This project contained a total of 40 test sections of asphalt concrete and Portland cement concrete pavement in the SPS-1, SPS-2, SPS-8 and SPS-9 experiments of the Specific Pavement Studies program. These experiments were designed to assess the effectiveness of different base types and thicknesses, different pavement thicknesses and other design parameters on the structural performance of highway pavements. During the construction of these sections, the Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) was used to measure the composite stiffness of the sections as each new material layer was completed and accepted by ODOT. In addition, the Dynaflect trailer was used to measure the composite stiffness of the completed sections prior to their being opened to traffic. The overall objectives of this research study were to evaluate the stiffness of the test sections on this experimental pavement as the new material layers were added to the sections, and to evaluate various analysis software packages currently available for the backcalculation of layer moduli. While the Ohio SHRP Test Road was constructed in an area of flat terrain believed to have relatively uniform subgrade, FWD measurements indicated considerable subgrade variability between sections and within individual sections. None of the subgrade sections was considered to be good, about half were fair and the other half were poor to very poor. As expected, much of the variability was mitigated as successive material layers were placed in the sections, and especially with the addition of stabilized materials. Stiffness equivalencies were developed for the six types of base material used on the test road, and for AC and PCC pavement used on these bases. The final stiffness of the completed sections was consistent with early performance, in that the first six asphalt concrete sections which failed had the highest measured deflections with both the FWD and Dynaflect just prior to being opened to traffic. An excellent correlation was developed between FWD and Dynaflect output on the completed asphalt concrete pavement sections and clear trends were also apparent on PCC pavement, though the limited range of readings on PCC with both devices made it difficult to develop a definitive correlation on rigid pavement. The stiffness of the completed AC and PCC pavement sections, and load transfer across PCC pavement joints were quite similar when measured with the FWD and Dynaflect, demonstrating the usefulness of both instruments in evaluating structural performance. Four elastic layer programs were evaluated for their ability to calculate the moduli of the various material layers in the 40 test sections. Of these, MODULUS 4.2 performed the best and was the most user friendly program to run. To obtain consistent results on any specific project, a standard operating procedure needs to be developed for those conditions and the analysis program being used, and the procedure needs to be closely followed for all calculations.

Guidelines for Implementing NCHRP 1-37A M-E Design Procedures: Literature review

Guidelines for Implementing NCHRP 1-37A M-E Design Procedures: Literature review
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 126
Release: 2009
Genre: Pavements
ISBN:

Highway agencies across the nation are moving towards implementation of the new AASHTO Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) for pavement design. The benefits of implementing the MEPDG for routine use in Ohio includes (1) achieving more cost effective and reliable pavement designs, (2) lower initial and life cycle costs to the agency, and (3) reduced highway user impact due to lane closures for maintenance and rehabilitation of pavements. Implementation of the MEPDG is a process that requires time and agency resources (staffing, training, testing facilities including equipment, and so on). A key requirement is validating the MEPDG's nationally calibrated pavement distress and smoothness prediction models when applied under Ohio conditions and performing local calibration if needed. Feasibility of using the MEPDG's national models in Ohio was investigated under this study using data from a limited number of LTPP projects located in Ohio. Results based on limited data showed inadequate goodness of fit and significant bias in a number of the MEPDG new HMA pavement and JPCP performance prediction models. Limited recalibration of these models showed promising results indicating that a full-scale recalibration effort using a more extensive database assembled from projects located throughout the state is feasible.

Gravel Roads

Gravel Roads
Author: Ken Skorseth
Publisher:
Total Pages: 112
Release: 2000
Genre: Gravel roads
ISBN:

The purpose of this manual is to provide clear and helpful information for maintaining gravel roads. Very little technical help is available to small agencies that are responsible for managing these roads. Gravel road maintenance has traditionally been "more of an art than a science" and very few formal standards exist. This manual contains guidelines to help answer the questions that arise concerning gravel road maintenance such as: What is enough surface crown? What is too much? What causes corrugation? The information is as nontechnical as possible without sacrificing clear guidelines and instructions on how to do the job right.